


Burn

by Darkest_Day



Series: Not Always [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, Police camera inspired, Why did this take so long?, car crashes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-09-30
Packaged: 2017-12-28 01:09:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkest_Day/pseuds/Darkest_Day
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's winter, then spring, then summer, and sometimes it seems to take forever for things to finally start working out, and once it does everyone involved wonders why it took so long in the first place. But it starts to the sound of tires screeching against the icy pavement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burn

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this video:   
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc0NOEZzsJ4
> 
> Thankfully, I found a video that wasn't some douche talking about how this guy was 'writing a ticket'. No, he wasn't, he was helping out. So, I'm happy I found the actual video that highlights what happens. 
> 
> And I know these are all supposed to be 'Notalwaysright,com' inspired, they're just inspired by random things that I like. This one was a pain to write, there wasn't too much conflict, and I'm still not sure if I'm entirely satisfied with it but I've been sitting on it for three weeks now. I hope you enjoy it.

Ten hours, now.  

It's been snowing for thirteen. 

Not that they never got snow around here - they just never got this much. Not this fast, either, it'd been falling in those big fat flakes since he started his shift. 

He was leaning back in his seat, cigarette dangling from his lips, weary as fuck and just waiting for the night to be over. Even though winter happened every year - so many people weren't prepared for it. People thought it would be fine to still use their summer tires, rather than switching them over. And every year, the first snowfall, there were accidents. 

He hated this time of year. People died, people got seriously injured, and he hadn't seen anything like this in years. Not since he was just a kid, looking at the sky in wonder, all lit up by the white Christmas lights his father had carefully put up because they made his mother smile. 

Dry, chapped lips split as he pulled the cigarette from them, blinking tiredly at the road around him. The wipers were on, snow clumped to them, undeterred by the fact that they were moving. He wondered if this snow would ever end, or if he would be able to go home soon, warm his hands and sleep for a little while. 

But so long as it snowed, they needed him. Exhaling smoke, he let his eyes slip closed. 

Arthur was jolted awake, looking down at the radio and the crackly voice coming through it. "I'm near the highway." He said quickly, sitting up straight and blinking to keep himself awake. "I can see it from here. What do you need?" Duty calls, he thought bitterly, hoping that this was nothing bad. 

"We got a call about a kid who spun out a bit, he's just at the side of the road, go check on him, yeah? I think the snow's finally letting up, too, which is good, it's starting to freeze though." 

"On it." He clicked the radio back into its holder, flicked on the lights and tossed the cigarette out of the window, his fingers momentarily frozen as they stuck out the window. He pulled onto the highway, and started to move. 

"Under the bridge." The voice through the speaker, Gwen, said cheerfully. He was guessing she was on at least her fifth cup of coffee by now, judging by the sound of her voice. He smiled fondly, and kept driving. 

It was pretty easy to spot it, the car pulled over to the side of the road, lights flashing, the kid just standing beside the car, watching the traffic. The snow was letting up, and when he stepped out onto the pavement, it was icy as hell. He made his way towards the boy, who looked up at him. 

"I know I'm not supposed to be parked at the side of the road." The kid started saying (no, not kid, he was at least Arthur's age), "I'm sorry, I can't push it alone and it slid and--" 

Arthur cut him off with a simple hand. "It's alright, first snowfall of the year kicks some teeth in." 

The kid grinned, relieved, casting shadows under his cheekbones and brightening his eyes. "My phone's dead, I didn't really know what to do." Tufts of black hair stuck out of the knitted toque on his head, thin and pale and bright eyes that reflected the orange of the street light above them. 

"Well, I've got mine, we're in luck. What's your name?" 

"Merlin Emrys." 

"I'm Arthur Pendragon, I'll call you a tow truck, we'll get you on your way. Does it start?" 

The way Merlin's face fell told him everything, and he grinned, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "Come wait in the car, yeah? Get warmed up, you look freezing." Merlin was shivering, he noticed that now, hunched in on himself with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Hopefully he hadn't been out here long, and thankfully no one was _hurt_. He truly hated coming onto a scene and finding out that someone was going to need an ambulance. He only had basic first aid. 

He turned, but his heart was in his throat. For a second, everything froze, the car was coming straight for them, the face of the person behind the wheel panicked, trying to wrench the car in another direction. Arthur just moved, turning to Merlin and forcefully grabbing him, fingers pinching skin, and threw him as hard as he could. 

The impact rushed in as the car hit him, pain exploded through his bones, and he was lying in the snow. 

 

 

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He mumbled, he was completely and utterly _fucked_ and there was nothing he could do about it. And, he was on the highway to boot, so it wasn't like he was able to flag anyone down. Everyone was going too fast, and it was dangerous to try to stop like this.  

As he had learned the hard way. The winter hadn't really caught him off guard, he had been preparing for it. 

He was just going a little too fast, tried to slow down, and went out of control. His already rickety car hadn't survived the hit, and he'd just been standing there. 

When the police car pulled up, he thought for sure he was going to get arrested. Or he damn well hoped so, because his car had already been freezing to begin with and hadn't been able to hold any heat. The tips of his ears were surely going to fall off, even if they were covered by a hat. His nose wasn't doing much better. 

The guy was attractive, too, so as he babbled Merlin definitely considered resisting a little. But he was probably delirious from the cold. 

The very last thing he expected was for a car to come skidding towards them. He only noticed it after Arthur had sprung into action, while Merlin hadn't been paying attention, while he had been frozen in shock the moment he saw it. 

It was terrifying, watching Arthur's limp body flip over the flimsy metal barrier and onto the thickly packed snow beside the road. He didn't waste a second, throwing himself over the barrier and crashing to his knees beside him. The one who had been driving, looking terrified, was on her phone before she even got to Arthur's side. 

This, at least, was something Merlin knew how to do. He carefully ran through the checklist, make sure Arthur was still breathing, checking his pulse, checking for any serious injuries, and when he determined that the accident hadn't broken Arthur's neck, he carefully moved his head from the snow, pulling off his hat and putting it under Arthur's blonde head. 

It didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive, and the woman offered to drive him down to the hospital for him. By some ounce of luck, she had a phone charger so Merlin could make a phone call to the towing company (he'd already called it twice since he got the car). 

Once he was at the hospital, he called his mother and let her know that he would have to postpone his visit. He was okay, he assured her, but someone had stepped in and saved his life. So he was going to stay here and wait until he was okay, then he'd be on his way. He'd already booked the days off of work (and, of course, he had been an idiot and forgotten to grab his bag with a few changes of clothes in it in the damn car), so he was still going to take them. 

This whole thing made him happy he worked here, because he was able to get information about Arthur's injuries. Not severe, thank fuck, but enough that would put him off of work for awhile. He scampered off once a scary looking woman with long black hair came sweeping through the halls. 

It was a bit silly, but he wanted to thank the man who had put himself in danger to save him. To hell with it being his job or anything of the sort, he had still done it and no one forced him into it. 

He was able to see Arthur early the next morning, slipping into his room and grinning brightly. There was a cast on his wrist, and Merlin plopped down in the seat beside him. Arthur stared curiously at him for a moment, before seemingly cluing in. 

"I wanted to thank you." Merlin said warmly, leaning forwards to look at him properly. "With out you I'd be in serious trouble, you put yourself in danger to save me, so thank you." 

The man stared at him, before muttering "I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you." But there was no heat behind it, Merlin could only tip his head back and laugh. 

"Oh and you're a prat too!" He said, almost gleefully. 

"I'm glad someone else has noticed." Came a voice from the door, Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin as the scary-looking woman from before wandered in. But, behind her, a older blonde woman, smiling fondly, who made Merlin much less panicked. 

"Morgana." Arthur was groaning, sitting up against the pillows and peering at the three people in his room. 

Merlin grinned, reached out and patted Arthur's arm, before standing to go, happy that he had the chance to thank him. 

He decided to postpone his holiday a bit, at least until his car was fixed. And everyone was happy for the extra help. 

  
 

Morgana was snickering to herself, and that wasn't ever good, especially when a somewhat attractive dark-haired male had just left his room. Who knew what was going on in her twisted little mind of hers, but he was at least happy to see them, and his mother, mostly. Morgana had been around and she had finally stopped fretting enough to to pick Ygraine up, who refused to drive in the winter.  

Which he understood, she had lost her husband and nearly her own life that day.  

She sat beside the bed as he sat up properly, it ached, but it wasn't so bad. Right now, at least, everything felt fine enough. "Morgana told me what happened." She said, warmly. "I'm very proud of you, and I'm thankful you're not hurt." 

He was hurt, definitely, his wrist was broken and it ached the most, but he knew what she meant. He hadn't lost his life, lost a limb, or broke his neck. He was still whole and once he healed, he would be back to himself. 

"So, that's the one you saved?" Morgana asked, then, after Arthur's greetings to his mother had subsided. Arthur only nodded, suspiciously. "Well I can see why, he's got a nice --" 

"Morgana, please." He interrupted, he was still a bit woozy and really didn't want to hear about anything like _that_. Especially because he hadn't come up with those thoughts on his own yet. 

"Oh come on, Arthur, you haven't gone out with anyone since Gwen. He'd say yes you know, you're his hero." 

Gwen, who was lovely and after a good year of flirting he had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out with him. Only, there, she had met Lance and Arthur had paled in comparison. It was Arthur's fault, he had seen an old friend from another city and decided to say hello, only to have his possible girlfriend swept off her feet by him. 

He was just too caught up in work to bother with dating. He wasn't interested, he'd rather just sleep now. 

Ygraine scolded Morgana briefly, telling her to stop pestering her brother. She was older than Arthur was, the product of an affair his father had. Ygraine hadn't forgiven him at first, devastated by the fact that he had slept with another woman, but he had gone to grand extremes to make it up to her, and she had forgiven him. He still remembered the smiles his father gave to his mother, like she was the only thing he'd ever need. 

They left, later, after a meal of shit hospital food and giving Arthur their good-byes. 

Then, he just had to wait until he went home. A couple broken ribs, broken wrist, and the bone under his thigh was bruised to hell. He wished the bone had just cracked, broken, because at least it would be a visible injury. Not something under the skin, that no one would be able to see. 

Later, a nurse came in to tell him that he could probably go home tomorrow, as soon as he would walk just fine on his own. Which would take some getting used to, and they'd need to see if he needed a crutch to help for a few days. Through the rest of the day, some of his coworkers filtered in, giving him pats on the back and telling him he'd done real fucking well. They'd watched the footage from the camera, sitting with him and making him promise he'd join them for a celebratory beer once he was off the painkillers. Arthur agreed with a grin, more than willing to do that. 

He didn't dare try walking, not yet, not while his friends were around him. He refused to be seen as weak, so he waited until they were gone before carefully pulling himself from the hospital bed. Every tiny movement hurt, his face pinched in pain, as he put both feet on the ground. He hadn't expected a bone bruise to be that goddamn painful. It would get better, right? 

Frusturated, and even though it was well after midnight, he jabbed the 'call nurse button'. 

And it took them at least ten minutes to get there, too, what if he had been dying? Then he'd be dead and the nurse would be fired, he knew Morgana would make sure of that. She was, at the very least, good for something. 

It wasn't the nurse from earlier, who had probably clocked out for the night, someone else had come in for their shift and he was actually surprised to see the kid he had met at the side of the road. "You're looking better." Ah, right, his name was Merlin. "How are you feeling? Are you trying to get up?" 

"Yeah," was all he said, coming over to Arthur's side where he was still hooked up to a machine. 

"Why are you even still attached? I've told her so many times that if someone's not comatose that these can be removed." Merlin was muttering bitterly, carefully sliding the stinging metal from his arm. "There, that's better." Merlin beamed, and Arthur couldn't understand how someone would be so happy to have taken a needle out of his arm. 

"So, you wanna walk? I'll let you know now, it'll hurt really badly at first, but the more you move the less it'll hurt. But the doctor told you you need lots of rest, right? Don't walk on it too much." He was sure Merlin said more, but he stopped listening. His words were thick, rambly, driving across his mind as he watched him babble, mostly to himself. 

Merlin was actually quite charming, he had a firm grip that he placed on Arthur's arm, helping him get to his feet and then slowly loosening his grasp as he battled how much it fucking hurt with each step. But Merlin was right, it stopped hurting as much, and the more he moved it the less it hurt. But it never relaxed, the underlying ache never went away. 

"You can probably leave in the morning." Merlin stated happily. "Or tonight, I think, but everything's closed so you'd need a ride. Probably best to let everyone sleep, yeah?" 

Arthur agreed, but didn't particularly feel like sleeping. His sleep schedule was entirely messed up, not that it had been exactly perfect before all this anyways. "Hey, why haven't they started with ice yet? Or have they?" He asked, suddenly, and sighed to himself. "I'll be back in a minute or two, bloody new hires need to use their brains." He grumbled as he left the room, leaving Arthur sitting on one of the chairs. 

It was a little bit amusing to see Merlin grumble so openly about his coworkers, he wasn't sure if that was something he was actually allowed to do, especially to a patient. But Merlin was charming, and the idea of ice on his leg sounded heavenly. He wasn't wearing any pants, though, just the hospital gown and the boxers he had been wearing. He might have to actually trust Morgana with his keys to go grab him something to change into, something warm. He expected the uniform he had been wearing had probably been cut off of him to attend to his injuries. 

No use dwelling on it now, at least his phone seemed to be intact, and he expected anything else that could be salvaged were brought back to the station. His phone, keys, wallet, were on the table. He grabbed the phone and sent a message to Morgana, telling her he was going home in the morning and that she'd need to bring him something to wear. 

She replied asking him why he wouldn't just leave tonight. 

He didn't respond to that one, mostly because Merlin was back with an ice pack. 

The ice was lovely on his heated skin, the bruise was dark and ugly, and Merlin showed him how to press the ice into his skin, told him not to do it for more than a few minutes. He was kneeling before him, one warm hand on his knee with the other showing Arthur's hands what to do. He kept his gaze focused on the task at hand, not the way Merlin's hands were searing hot compared to the cold, or the flush on his skin that really had no business being there. 

Maybe there was another reason why he wasn't so willing to go home just yet. 

In the end, Arthur was just a coward.

They spent most of the night together, though, talking and insulting each other, unless Merlin was called off to another room. It happened on occasion, and Arthur would be left bored out of his mind until he got back. 

Be seven AM, Merlin's shift was nearly over and Morgana had already came and went with his keys to fetch him something to wear. And he thought about it, he really did, but he didn't say anything, he didn't do anything, because he was a coward. 

Morgana arrived with a change of clothes, while he was sitting with Merlin in the room. Merlin who was grinning like an idiot and quite proud of the fact that he had managed to grab the freshest breakfast for him. He shooed Morgana out of the room, shedding the hospital gown (which wasn't so uncomfortable, it wasn't like he was naked under it or anything) and sliding the shirt on, a bit awkwardly with the cast over his wrist. The pain in his ribs sparked, but it was fine. Merlin hooked an arm around him after he pulled the pants around his ankles and stood, so he could get them on. His fingers on one hand were stiff, half locked into place by the cast which made it difficult, but not impossible.

And if there was any time to do it, now would be it. 

He didn't, giving Merlin a grin and a 'thank you' and even a 'drive safe' as Morgana came back into the room. 

There was a bit more mess to deal with, prescriptions for the pain and stopping in at the station to show everyone that he was alive and well. Morgana insisted, but he didn't mind so much. 

It seemed to take hours to finally get home, but when he did, limping the whole way, he settled into the couch with a breath. He didn't do well at sitting around, with nothing to do he would become restless. 

But that was this evening at the earliest, and tomorrow by the latest. He tried the ice again, but it didn't seem to work nearly as well as when Merlin had done it. But Merlin had training, practise, he knew how to do it because he had probably done it a thousand times before now. 

Idly, as he sat there, he contemplated getting a cat, or a dog. It would be nice to have an animal companion with him, who could curl up beside him and keep him warm in the cold winter months. A dog, actually, they were bigger. But they also needed more attention, and with his work.. 

Nah, not a good idea, he wasn't home enough to properly give a pet enough attention. Just because he had the time now didn't mean he could devote enough to it later, once he got back to work. Unless he wanted to fill out the forms for a police dog, well trained and loyal. Yeah, maybe he would do that. 

He relaxed into the couch, falling asleep and waking up to extreme pain in his body, fumbling through his pockets groggily and trying to find that damn bottle. 

  

His car was fixed, he had taken his vacation to see his mother, and now he was on his way home. His mother had insisted on writing a letter to the station about an Arthur Pendragon who had saved the life of her son, he had tried to tell her not to. But she was his mother, she wouldn't have any of his protests and Merlin had been left to groan into his palms as she scrawled neatly on a sheet of paper. Then she asked him for the address of the police station, and Merlin sighed. 

He did think about Arthur sometimes, though, wondering if he should have done a bit more or something. He thought he'd flirted enough to pass on the message. Unless Arthur was straight, in which case he really should be glad he hadn't done anything. 

But there was no use questioning it, because Arthur was moving on with his life and Merlin was going on with his. 

He really liked the snow though, it made him feel young again. And sometime after Christmas, which he didn't spend with his mother because they had shared an early one together (where he had given her the ticket to Paris), he found himself thinking about Arthur again.

Which was stupid. 

He brushed off the thought, met up with his friends on New Year's and sneaking drinks out of their flasks or clever water bottles filled with something fruity. That was when he spotted a blonde head he recognized, and shoved his flask into Will's hands and took off towards the police car parked at the side of the road. 

Grinning, he walked over to Arthur. "Hey" He greeted, trying to keep his cool and wondering what his friends thought of him rushing up to a police car while drinking outside, in public. 

"Oh?" Arthur was looking down at something, and looked up at Merlin before grinning. And his grin was a little breathtaking. "Hey" he greeted, Merlin could only grin. 

It was at that moment that he noticed a nose sticking out of a crack in the window of the car, curiously, Merlin peered in. Arthur grinned. "That's Kira" He said, sticking his fingers into the window, only for the dog to lick his fingers. "It's just the orientation phase, if we're a good fit, we'll do something other than what we're doing now." 

Carefully, Arthur opened the door, and the dog, a beautiful mostly black with spots of tan German Shepherd, peered at him. Arthur gave the dog a nod, a hand gesture, and she hopped from the seat to sniff and lick at Merlin's hands affectionately. 

Merlin cooed, stroking the dog's ears and scratching his fingers under her chin. Her tail thumped against the seat of the car. It was starting to snow. 

Merlin straightened, Arthur nodded to the car and she hopped back onto the passenger seat, he fished a treat from one of the pockets on his belt, handed it to Merlin, who passed it onto the animal. He was grinning, turning to Arthur as he closed the door again. "How're you healing up?" He asked, still smiling. 

"I'm still sore, but it's not too bad." He held up his wrist, the plaster had been removed but he still wore a brace. He probably still had a limp, too, and Merlin thought that he probably shouldn't be working yet. 

Someone was shouting his name, and Merlin turned to see Will waving his arms in the air. Merlin turned back to Arthur. "Sorry, looks like I've gotta run." He said. "They'll leave me behind, too, so I'd better go now." 

He hesitated, waiting for a moment longer than he needed, trying to tell if there was something there. But instead, Arthur bid him a good night, told him that he'd better not get himself arrested tonight. 

Merlin laughed, told him he was perfectly sober and that he always behaved himself, and took off at a run to catch up to everyone. 

He wondered if he had missed his shot again. 

Kira was warm on his legs, peering up at him with her big brown eyes, and he reached out to stroke her forehead, grinning. Once upon a time, Arthur had done a lot of traveling, doing things a lot more exciting than speeding tickets and breaking up domestic arguments. After his father had died, he had taken to the 'safer' things rather than anything more exciting. The things that got his heart pumping, his mind rushing, quick to react and ready to defend or die. 

When he had expressed his interest in a police dog, Gwen had got really excited (far too excited for her first cup of coffee) and started locating the papers Arthur would need right away. The rest of his team had been disappointed when he had chosen simple patrols over investigations, and Gwen was excited to see him finally get back into the role. 

He had been shown how to command the dog, first, a week of training in a snow covered field with one of the training dogs, learning what they responded to before Kira was brought to him. 

It was nice not to be alone, to have a constant companion, though now his hours were longer and more difficult, he didn't regret it. His mother didn't, either, happy that her son was getting back into what he was good at. 

Then there was Merlin again, that night on New Year's when he was clearly drinking out in public with his friends but couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. He knew where Merlin worked, and didn't doubt that they were heading back to a house to drink in after the fireworks show was finished. 

He had thought about saying something more, that his shift would be ending in an hour or two and if Merlin would want to meet him somewhere maybe, because there were a few restaurants that didn't close at night. 

But he didn't, instead letting Merlin go. 

Arthur was still just a coward. 

It was months before he met Arthur again, well after winter broke into spring. Every time he saw flashing lights, red and blue, he thought of him. Wondered where he was, while most people got nervous when a police car passed, Merlin got interested. Wondering about Arthur and his dog and hoping he hadn't got himself killed or anything. Then again, he'd have seen it in the papers if that happened. 

It was his neighbours, actually, that brought Arthur to him. They were fighting, and they'd been fighting for months now, and Merlin knew it would get to this point. He watched from his yard, huddled up close to the porch so he wouldn't be seen by them, as their arguments spilled into the grass. 

There was a dull thud, she was screaming, and Merlin made a hurried phone call to get the police out here _right fucking now_ so it didn't get any worse. He was worried, his hands shaking, but he knew better than to interfere. 

It didn't take long for the bright flashing lights to come blaring down the streets, they were still screaming, he saw a dog exit one of the cars, and couldn't quite see the scuffle but when he moved from his hiding spot, the woman was pinned down on her stomach, the dog's jaws clamped around one of her wrists, a long shadow on the ground was probably whatever she was holding, and the man was bleeding. 

When he saw Arthur, his heart leapt into his throat and he only stepped further into the light from the streetlight as he strode towards the woman, the dog stepping back and sitting obediently, waiting for her next command. 

Merlin only watched as the team worked, an ambulance had arrived too, and someone was dotting a cloth onto the man's forehead. 

Suddenly, as Merlin was distracted by the lights shining in the corners of his eyes and the woman kicking at the inside of one of the cars, Arthur was right before him. 

"I'm guessing you called this in?" He asked. "There are people coming out of their homes right now, why don't you just come with me, tell me what happened, so we can get off the street." 

Merlin agreed, rushing inside to grab his coat and keys and making sure the door was locked before heading back out. One of the cop cars had parked in Merlin's driveway, lights off, and two officers with little notebooks were asking a few members of the crowd about the couple.

Even though this was a highly professional matter, Merlin couldn't help but being a little bit excited about it. Maybe this time he could finally get Arthur's number, or something. Maybe, hopefully. Kira sat in the back seat, sprawling out on it comfortably with Merlin in the front with Arthur, trying not to grin like an idiot because this was a damn serious situation and he would look half mad grinning like that. 

He gave his statement at the station, to someone who introduced himself as Leon, and told him everything he could think of about the situation. "I didn't want to get involved." He said, "they've been fighting so much, I've been waiting for this to happen, actually. I had my phone ready, just in case something got really bad." 

"Well it's a good thing you did." Leon said, "it could have been worse, from what I've gathered no one else knew too much about it." 

Happy, Merlin was released with an earnest 'thank you'. Of course, he had been given a ride here, so he wasn't entirely sure how he was getting home. Fortunately, Arthur was waiting just outside for him. "Come on, I'll drive you home." He said. "My shift's up, there's not much more I can do." 

Merlin happily agreed, and they got into Arthur's car, which was much nicer than his, and settled into the seat with his hand stretched into the back seat, stroking Kira's nose. "So, do you own the house?" Arthur asked, curiously. 

"Almost. It's one of those rent-to-own places, give it another six months, I think, and it'll be mine." Not too many people asked about it, and seeing as he couldn't afford a down payment on a house all at once, he had chosen one that would be his if he just kept paying rent. Just a little two bedroom, nice yard, nice neighbourhood(up until tonight anyway), a neat little attic room with wide windows and a spidery basement for laundry. When they pulled in, he couldn't help but blurting out a "did you want to come in?" before he could stop himself. 

Arthur agreed. Merlin wondered if it would be acceptable to start grinning like a loon yet. He led Arthur inside, Kira following after he had parked. He unlocked the doors, still trying not to grin too much, and let the two of them in. Kira made a beeline for the carpet in front of the fireplace, stretching over the rug before lying down. "Did you want something to drink?" Merlin asked as Arthur flopped himself down on the couch. 

"Have any beer?" And Merlin was really glad he was in the kitchen and not beside him or Arthur probably would have just left then and there. Arthur was a cop, there was no way he'd have a drink then drive, that meant he'd be staying here long enough to sober up or simply the whole night. Merlin was really glad he didn't have to go to work until late tomorrow. He brought two bottles back into the room, controlling his face so he didn't look deranged, and sat down beside him. 

They ended up talking late into the night. Arthur told him that he did what they needed him to do, not what he had limited himself to. They spoke until the sun was beginning to rise, empty bottles of beer on the table, Kira's legs twitching as she slept. 

All this time, and Merlin still hadn't made a move. Shit.  

Arthur stretched, the shirt he wore riding up a little, and slowly hauled himself to his feet. "I should go, you probably need your sleep." 

"Nah, it's fine. You do too, though, are you good to drive?" He asked. "I've got a spare room." He offered, he'd have offered his own room but he didn't even know if Arthur was gay yet, so no, not offering that one. 

He turned to Kira, who was still fast asleep, undisturbed by their moving about. "May as well let her sleep" He said affectionately, "alright, I'll stay. Probably better anyways." 

Grinning, Merlin showed Arthur to the spare room, motioning that his bed was just down the hall. Arthur carefully went back to the living room, wrapping his arms around Kira and picking the heavy dog, and carrying her into the room. He left the door open after setting her back down (she didn't wake up at all, still snuffling in her sleep), heading back out to thank Merlin. He grinned, "It's no problem, get yourself some sleep." 

He thought about not even going to sleep, waiting for Arthur to get up so he could say good-bye, or try something ( _anything_ ), but didn't. He was rather tired, actually, and sank into his room and fell asleep within a few minutes. 

Arthur was gone by the time he woke up again, the empty bottles were cleared away, as were the dirty dishes from the shit microwave pizzas they had cooked, laughingly exclaiming they tasted like cardboard before raiding Merlin's fridge to decorate them properly. The table had even been wiped, the rug straightened, the clutter in the kitchen neatly washed, rinsed, and put away. It was like he hadn't even been there. 

Merlin was still happy, though, because even though he still hadn't made a move things were going well. They were getting to be friends, now, he thought, even if he still didn't have Arthur's number. Which was a bit absurd, seeing as they had stayed up all night together twice now. 

"I'm fine, I swear." Her words shook a little bit, her long fingered hand out in front of her, trying to prove she was just fine and not at all hurt.  

"Like hell you are" He growled, finally getting fed up, and stepping towards her to grab her arm. She didn't complain because it looked like that _hurt_ , her hands gripping his arm painfully tight. 

"I'm _fine._ " She growled, Arthur only laughed as she hopped on one foot, clinging to Arthur hard so she wouldn't fall over. 

"We're going to the hospital, we're going to get you looked at, and then you can complain about how 'fine' you are." He declared, leading her to his car and opening the door, helping her get in. Kira was following at a short distance, concerned, peering up at him to make sure everything was okay. Once Morgana was in the car, Arthur patted the dog's head as his mother stopped before him. "Will you look after her?" He asked, "it won't be for too long." He tries to give her an excuse, and his mother simply smiles and calls Kira to her side, getting the animal to sit obediently.

"Don't forget who your father was." She said fondly. "He taught me how to handle them, now go on, we'll be fine on our own." 

With a relieved smile, Arthur climbed into the car and started driving, Morgana huffing angrily beside him. "I can't believe that you still haven't filled in that hole." She growled, her expression tight with pain. 

"I can't believe you didn't notice it." He replied, knowing full well her foul mood would fade as soon as she wasn't in any pain. But she had been the one to decide she didn't want any ice, and Arthur knew she wouldn't have any of it if he tried to tell her otherwise. 

He parked in the drop off zone at the emergency room, helping Morgana from the car and bringing her inside. Once that was taken care of, which didn't take long, only a quick conversation to the woman behind the counter and helping her sit down to wait, he went to move the car. On the way out, he spotted messy black hair and a laugh across the parking lot. He found himself grinning a bit stupidly, and abandoned his car in favour of walking his way over to Merlin. "Hey" He greeted, and though Merlin had been smiling he seemed to brighten even more when he spotted Arthur. 

"Hey! Oh, wait, you're not hurt are you?" 

"No, I'm fine. Morgana's rolled her ankle, possible break, we're not sure yet." 

"Oh! Well, I hope she's okay. My break's almost over, so I'll see if I can sneak away from my duties to see to her." With that, Merlin was striding away, the friend with him leaning in to mutter in his ear. 

Arthur moved his car, popped in some change for parking fees, and went back inside. Morgana had already been ushered into the next room, and they were finding her a wheelchair to bring her over to x-rays. Happily, it was Merlin who came wheeling the chair towards them, and the two of them each took one of her hands to help her sit in it.

"I remember you." Morgana said cheerfully, "You're the one Arthur cosied up to all night the last time he was here." Arthur felt like simply leaving right then, but that would only give Morgana the freedom to keep talking. It wasn't like he mentioned Merlin all that often, just on occasion, and not frequently enough to warrant that. "I get it now, you were just waiting for someone to fall so you could see him again, weren't you?" 

"Morgana" He warned, not daring to glance to Merlin to see his reaction. 

"He is a cop" Merlin said suddenly, laughter in his voice. "I think he'd probably get in trouble for something like that. If he wants to see me, he knows where I live."  He glanced over at Merlin, carefully, as they wheeled Morgana down the hall. Merlin was grinning, his cheeks a little bit flushed. Oh, well, that was a good sign. 

Morgana's ankle wasn't broken, Merlin fetched a doctor after they had wheeled her back to the waiting room (the doctor would only tell her the same thing Merlin had, who had taken the x-ray, that it wasn't broken, just sprained, so what was the point in getting a doctor to tell her the same thing Merlin could?), the doctor gave her a little plastic bag with a couple pain killers in them, telling her that these were for the worst of it, then she could switch to something over the counter after.  

So really, no big deal. They did wrap her ankle, securely, and sent them on their way. Arthur barely got a chance to say good-bye to Merlin before they were leaving. Arthur carefully ignored her after she had slid into the car. 

With Merlin's offer on the table, Arthur found it a little bit ironic that he would be without a place to live soon. His apartment was wonderful, really, spacious and overlooking a nice pool, but it was an apartment, it didn't have the room for a dog, no real yard he could run about in as he pleased. 

His lease was ending, and he could renew it if he wanted to but, it would be better for Kira to have an actual yard. He wasted three days searching online, and through papers, for a new place. Three days before he finally gave up, loaded Kira into the car, and drove to Merlin's house. 

Merlin was home, and he looked tired, like he had just been sleeping. He seemed to perk up when he saw Arthur, stepping back to let the two of them in. Merlin's hair was sticking up at odd angles, a complete mess, and Arthur apologized for waking him. 

Merlin was putting a cup of coffee into his hands before curling up on the other end of the couch with his own. "I didn't think you'd take my offer." He said warmly. 

"I wanted to." He replied. "But, I guess I also have something else to ask you. See, the lease on my apartment is ending this month, I forgot that it was, and I wanted to find a place with a yard but, I can't really find anything suitable, I've been looking everywhere. I guess I could stay there, but there's just not enough room for Kira and--" 

"Do you want to stay here?" Merlin interrupted, and Arthur was relieved, because it meant he didn't have to ask. He didn't have to feel like he was imposing by asking this of Merlin, because Merlin was inviting him in. 

"That would be amazing." He said, smiling and reaching out to pat Kira's head. "Thank you." 

"Anything for the guy who saved me." He said, and Arthur wondered if that was the only reason Merlin had agreed. But it couldn't be, could it? No, now he was just being paranoid. 

He couldn't stay for too long, but they discussed the details of what his rent would be. And it probably helped Merlin out, too, because what he paid could probably go towards the house. Before he left, he grabbed Merlin's phone on the table and programmed his number into it, finally, and set it back down.

At least he would finally have Merlin's number. After months of his ridiculous pining, maybe he could finally make some sort of move? 

  
 

"You're actually letting a _cop_ move into your house? Really?" Will was a little bit outraged, nearly slopping beer all over the table. "What are you thinking, Merlin? You know that's the worst idea you've ever had." 

Merlin only rolled his eyes, because he really really wanted Arthur to move in, and he really didn't care what anyone else said, or what he did for a living. It wasn't like Merlin participated in any illegal activities anyways. He knew Will always had a problem with authority, but that didn't mean he had to react this way. 

"I knew you fancied him, but letting him move in? Fuck, I'll never come over again if he's here." 

Stung, Merlin sighed. "Then you don't have to, you can't control me, remember this is my house, right? I own it, or I will soon, just a few more months. So you don't really have any say in it, and if you want to be so immature that you won't talk to me then that's not my problem." Will was immature, if he gave him a week or two to mope about it he'd get over it. He'd known Will long enough by now to know that he wasn't able to stay mad at Merlin for long. 

But, seriously, Arthur was going to be living here. With him. Maybe he could finally make some kind of move on him, finally try something, because it had been too long now. What if they ended up being friends and then..? 

Arthur was moving in with him, didn't that already cross the lines? He wasn't moving in as a lover, he was moving in as a friend. Shit, maybe that wasn't good. 

But, hey, so long as Arthur didn't bring dates home (not that Merlin would tell him not to) then he would be fine. He could happily pine away from a distance. Especially because living together might mean Arthur would walk around without a shirt on, and that was something he could look forward to.

Merlin kept thinking about it all, as Will was ranting, and what the scary-looking Morgana had said. That was hopeful, actually, and he wondered if maybe he should just go for it, because Arthur probably wouldn't push him away. Arthur hadn't denied a thing, either, and he had gone a little red, Merlin had noticed. 

"Merlin? Are you even listening to me?" He demanded, and Merlin laughed. Will sighed, flopped back onto the couch. 

"It's not like I let you do anything illegal in my house anyways," Merlin pointed out, because no matter how many times Will brought a joint over there was no way he was smoking it in the house and he had neighbours, and they had kids, and they hadn't hesitated to call the authorities that one time Merlin had let Will smoke in the backyard. 

A week later, Arthur was moving in. The truck he used had a temporary license on it, bringing over everything in just a few loads. Then there was the fun of trying to figure out where everything was going to go. Arthur's couches were much nicer than Merlin's, and he didn't know how long this would be for so he didn't quite want to get rid of them. 

So they decided to get a storage unit, or Merlin did anyways, to stash them in. Merlin's couches were a loving collection of discarded furniture from his friends, while Arthur's were all a collection of the same type and style of them. Merlin had to admit - the matching set really made the living room come together. It looked a lot nicer than before, and anytime he walked by, carrying one of Arthur's boxes, and looked at it, it made him smile. 

Most of the boxes were piled into the middle of what would be Arthur's room. The old bed in there (which he could probably throw away, actually) was removed, and at the end of the day, before Merlin left for work, he handed Arthur a key. 

When he got home from work, feeling weary, Arthur was asleep, but Kira was curled on the rug in the middle of the room. Happily, he patted her forehead before slinking to his room. 

  
 

Merlin picked up, well enough, on Kira's commands. Well enough to watch her effectively if needed. Just in case. it was always good to be prepared. Kira loved having enough space to run free, bounding through the grass of the backyard. Arthur was happy that this was the place he had chosen, it was better than anywhere else he could have gone. 

And hell, maybe one night he would stop being such a coward and make a move. But Arthur was a coward, and hadn't dated anyone in a long time. Though he didn't question the fact that Merlin fancied him, making the move was the difficult part. Maybe if he was lucky, they would match up somehow. 

Merlin was pretty in the mornings, or maybe the evenings, whenever he happened to wake up. He wandered about with his eyes half closed, loose pi's low on his hips, bare feet and hair sticking up on one side. When Merlin had first woken up, Arthur wanted nothing more than to wind his arms around him and pull him in close. Kira, after a week of judging Merlin very carefully, had deemed him worthy of her affection, and would affectionately nuzzle him. Merlin would stroke her fur tiredly, give Arthur a sleepy smile, and go about something to eat. 

Arthur was lying on the couch, it had been a long fucking day, all fourteen hours of it, and he was just so damn _tired_. Kira was knocked out at his feet, occasionally snoring in her sleep. He rubbed her side with his foot affectionately, tiredly, peering at the television and whatever mindless show he happened to be watching. 

He still didn't have Merlin's number, he noted dully, because if he did he would beg Merlin to bring him some food. 

Almost on que, the home phone rang, lazily, Arthur leaned forwards to grab it. "Hello?" He asked, struggling with the urge to yawn. 

"Hey Arthur." Merlin said cheerfully. "I'm stopping for Chinese on the way home, want me to pick anything up for you?" 

Arthur let out a relieved breath. "Merlin you are the most wonderful man I've ever met." He said, "please, anything, I'm starved."  

"On it!" The line went dead, Arthur lay back down, letting his eyes close. Maybe Merlin was a bit psychic, and when he got home he was getting his goddamn number. 

Merlin arrived later carrying cartons of food, and set them all down on the coffee table. Kira woke up long enough to stare at Merlin for a moment before dropping back into sleep, Arthur sat up and took the plate Merlin had just grabbed, sitting beside him and popping the containers open. 

It was a wonderful meal, if Merlin hadn't already won him over he had now. He also shoved his phone into Merlin's hands, telling him that he needed to put his number in there so they could actually get ahold of him. 

And that's when the flirting started. He couldn't tell if Merlin's messages, at first, were flirty or just friendly. He showed them to Gwen, after analyzing them for a few days. She confirmed that Merlin was definitely flirting. So Arthur flirted right back, finally wondering if this would finally ease Arthur's cowardness. He could tackle a man with a gun to the ground but he couldn't ask Merlin out on a proper date. 

The worst part about it was when they were finally together they were back to being just friends, no sign of their flirting. Their interactions were tight, a little forced, and he couldn't stand it. 

' _Working right now?'_   He sent, hungry and free for an hour. Merlin's reply was quick ' _Meet me for lunch?'_

With a grin, Arthur drove down to the restaurant. Merlin was there only a few minutes after he was, and they sat down to eat together. It wasn't quite a date, but it was a close thing. It was all he had. 

 

Merlin truly was a shameless flirt. It was actually kind of terrible, but Arthur responded positively every time, so he couldn't bring himself to stop. After Arthur had asked him for lunch the first time, they started meeting often. Just lunch dates, that's it, and as autumn broke into winter and Arthur got busier, Merlin brought home hot meals more and more often. 

And he worried for him, worried that he would risk his life again by jumping into the way. And as it came close to the day, a year ago, that he had first met Arthur, he started to think about his life a bit more. 

He had properly met Morgana, and Arthur's mother. He had invited his mother down for Christmas, and Ygraine had invited both of them into her home to celebrate together on the day of, and not a few months before. He was living with someone (who was neat enough most of the time, Merlin was messier so it seemed like there was constantly at least two things that needed to be washed at one time), there was a dog living in his home, and he and Arthur were almost-but-not-quite dating. 

Then there was Arthur, who only smoked when he wasn't getting enough sleep. Who didn't care if he was in his room or on the couch when he slept, and wouldn't wake up if Merlin stomped around the house unless he was good and ready to get up. Arthur, who sometimes walked around in just a towel or just his boxers, who could spend an entire day wearing just that and give Merlin an innocent grin like he didn't know how achingly distracting he was being. 

Morgana called him one morning, Arthur was at work and the house was cold because the heating had been turned down. "Er, hi?" He asked, because Morgana didn't call. Then again, Morgana just showed up whenever she pleased. 

"Merlin, dear, I have a favour to ask of you." 

"What's that?" 

"Arthur has a Christmas party to go to, and he's far too shy to ask you himself, so when you see him next, invite yourself. Thanks" he could hear her grin in her voice, and bit his tongue because shit he didn't know about this. 

"Er, okay, bye." He finished lamely, but the line was already dead. 

When Arthur came home, Merlin figured it was best to get it over with. 

"Uh, Morgana called me." He started, fiddling with his fingers. "She told me about, er, a Christmas party. And, um, that I'm supposed to invite myself to go with you." 

Arthur was quiet, carefully hanging up his keys and unclipping Kira's vest and harness, hanging it up near the keys. "Do you want to go with me?" He asked, voice carefully controlled. 

"Yes." Merlin was surprised that his voice was so confident. 

Suddenly Merlin had a lapful of Arthur, Arthur's hands large and biting cold from the air outside, and he was kissing him. Fucking _finally_ , he thought, getting a good grip in Arthur's uniform and tugging him closer. 

He had Arthur right there on the couch, bruising his skin and relishing in whatever barriers between them shattering cleanly. And after, his boxers hooked around his ankle and Arthur's undershirt hiked up to his armpits, he nuzzled into his collarbone affectionately. "Why did we not do this sooner?" He asked, voice muffled. 

Arthur only hummed, tightening his grip around Merlin. They were both sticky and a bit gross, it was absolutely wonderful. Maybe he should send Morgana flowers. 

 

Hunith and Ygraine got along like they had known one another for years. They shared stories of Paris and Rome over a bottle of wine, Arthur wouldn't be surprised if the two of them went around the world together sometime soon. 

Morgana kept trying to snap pictures of the two of them, any time Arthur settled into somewhere comfortable with Merlin tucked close beside him. She bought them matching scarves they they opened Christmas morning, of all things, Merlin wore his happily, Arthur took some convincing.

His mother had been lonely these last few years, it's why both he and Morgana took so much time out of their lives to see her. He wondered if it was the same with Hunith, if she was lonely too. And as the months went by, the two of them met often, spent time on the phone, they became friends and once summer rolled around they went to Italy together, arguing over who was going to attract more attention from the boys. 

Though Arthur wasn't entirely keen on hearing that, he was rather pleased with the two of them. And with himself, at that, if he hadn't thrown himself at Merlin Ygraine would still be smiling sadly, quietly. He hadn't seen her happy like this since before his father had died. Loneliness liked company, it seemed, Merlin told him Hunith's woes that matched his mother's nearly perfectly. 

But mostly, Arthur had Merlin. Merlin, who was bony and always had cold fingers. Sometimes someone would ask them how they met, and Arthur would lean back to let Merlin launch into it. Occasionally he would break into the conversation, downplaying Merlin's slight hero-worship, only to have Merlin tell him to shut up because he was talking. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Also holy fuck adding images were more irritating to put in than I thought they would be. Too many breaks, I'll try to do less of them next time I write something.


End file.
